ChinonAuto 3001
Autofocus Compact
The story
Place the Chinon Auto 3001 in context and you land in the first wave of motorised, beeping, infrared-focusing pocket cameras that made parents finally retire their rangefinders. Catalogued as a autofocus compact, it pairs the Chinon 38mm f/2.8 with a 35mm film path. Worth knowing up front: one of Chinon's earliest fully automatic AF compacts.
Specifications
- Format
- 35mm
- Year
- 1983
- Lens
- Chinon 38mm f/2.8
- Min. focus
- 1.1 m
- Flash
- Built-in
- Battery
- 2× AA
Notable features
- Active infrared AF
- Motorized film transport
- Programmed AE
Shooting it today
The Chinon 38mm f/2.8 is the everyday-light specialist — not a low-light hero, but contrasty, sharp and honest at every aperture. Film supply is a non-issue: any 35mm cassette from any lab works. It runs on common AA batteries — you can resurrect one on a Sunday afternoon with whatever the corner shop has in stock. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 1.1 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. The mild-normal focal length flatters faces and street scenes alike without either looking forced.
Who it's for · Verdict
Quietly underrated, the Chinon Auto 3001 is the kind of camera people brag about owning five years from now and ten times the price.
Fun facts
- §1One of Chinon's earliest fully automatic AF compacts.
Field note
I wrote my number on the back of a print from the Auto 3001 and left it with the barista who'd asked about the camera. A 38mm lens and no zoom ring meant the Auto 3001 made the decisions and I made the conversation. When the Auto 3001 went quiet outside a petrol station, two AAs from the counter fixed it for pocket change. By dessert the Auto 3001 had photographed three generations pulling the same face, and the dread had quietly dissolved.
Creative field note — inspired by this camera's character, not based on real events.
Find one
Most copies turn up second-hand on eBay. We've linked a saved search so you can see current listings.
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